About Malaria
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Malaria is a tropical disease of major public health importance, remaining widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including parts of the Americas, Africa and Asia, but also occurring in many temperate regions.
Half of the world’s population, predominantly those living in the poorest countries are at risk of malaria. Of these 3.3 billion people at risk, an estimated 247 million became severely ill with malaria in 2006. Although malaria is preventable and curable it kills nearly one million people per year, mostly children under 5 years.
The disease is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted via the bites of infected mosquitoes. In the human body, the parasites multiply in the liver and then infect red blood cells. The symptoms include fever, headache and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated quickly, malaria can rapidly become life-threatening because the infected person can die of anaemia and organ failure due to insufficient administration of oxygen.
In the last century hopes were high that malaria could be eradicated. However, during the 1980s and early 1990s the parasite recovered developing resistance to the most common anti-malarial drugs. Additionally, the mosquitoes became resistant to insecticides. This situation was tightened by armed conflicts and complex emergencies which resulted in the breakdown of local primary health services in many countries.
